AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage has vetoed a supplemental budget bill that was crafted by the Legislature and supported by majorities in both parties. The Republican governor rejected the bill because he said it includes “gimmicks” to balance the books. “I cannot support a budget that uses gimmicks to keep it balanced,” wrote LePage in […]
MaineCare
Posted inMaine
State announces new contracts for troubled MaineCare ride program
AUGUSTA — The state will not renew a contract with a company hired to broker rides for MaineCare patients, according to the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. Coordinated Transportation Solutions, a Connecticut-based company that employs about 45 call-center workers in Lewiston, will lose its $28 million contract when it expires June 30. CTS can […]
advertisement
Posted inLetters
D. Harrison: The governor is right
Gov. Paul LePage knows that Maine does not have a significant number of people who are uninsured. The reason for the high use of emergency room doctors is that many on MaineCare have a difficult time getting a primary care physician. That is not a problem that will be remedied by adding more people to […]
Posted inLetters
J. Sytsma: Governor’s lack of foresight
It is truly shameful that Gov. Paul LePage vetoed legislation that could have extended health care insurance to thousands of Mainers. It is even more disappointing that Maine’s Republican lawmakers did not have the courage to override the veto. By failing to extend MaineCare benefits at federal expense to 70,000 of Maine’s poorer citizens, Maine’s […]
Posted inLetters
B. Mennealy: LePage is out of touch
Gov. Paul LePage’s ill-advised veto of a 100 percent federally funded program that would provide health care coverage to 70,000 Mainers who desperately need it made no sense at all. Such coverage would help Maine citizens and hospitals, plus provide a boost to Maine’s economy. As a disabled senior citizen, I know how life-essential such […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine Legislature approves late, last-ditch push for Medicaid expansion
AUGUSTA, Maine — The Maine Legislature on Thursday night approved a Medicaid expansion plan for the third time since March, though the bill is likely doomed to the same fate as its predecessors — death by gubernatorial veto. The House of Representatives gave the bill final approval with a vote of 94-51. The Senate gave […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Controversial MaineCare rides program survives after veto override fails
AUGUSTA— Democrats in the Senate were unsuccessful Tuesday in attempting to overturn a veto by Gov. Paul LePage, who had nixed a resolve to cancel the contracts of companies that have overseen the troubled administration of the state’s MaineCare rides program. In a party-line vote, the Senate voted 20-15 to override the veto, short of […]
Posted inFranklin, Lewiston-Auburn, Maine, Oxford Hills, River Valley
Spending more to save more? It’s working.
“They’re desperately in need of something we’re not giving them.” Three state projects are giving Maine’s biggest medical users more help, and it’s already paying off in a host of ways. Last year, Tammy Wilson visited the emergency room 38 times. She knew she went there a lot — too much — but she didn’t […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
LePage vetoes Medicaid expansion, says it would be ‘ruinous’
AUGUSTA, Maine — As expected, Gov. Paul LePage on Wednesday vetoed a bill that would expand Medicaid coverage to roughly 70,000 low-income Mainers and dramatically overhaul the administration of the program by outsourcing it to managed care organizations. The Legislature gave final enactment to the bill on March 28, starting a countdown for LePage to […]
Posted inLetters
S. Sokol: Morally and economically correct
Most Mainers know MaineCare expansion has passed the Legislature and is awaiting the expected Gov. LePage veto. Sadly, there are not enough Republicans who are willing to do what is morally and economically correct and override it. As a result, there will be continued needless loss of life. Approximately one Mainer dies every three days […]